Chapter 0243

Brianna

Athena hasn't spoken for nearly five minutes.

Her silence unnerves me far more than her words ever could.

I pour another cup of tea.

My hand trembles slightly as I select a biscuit from the plate.

Slow movements.

That's my safest approach.

Perhaps she didn't believe anything I confessed.

I desperately hope that isn't true.

Revealing my past demanded everything I had.

Only Zachary knew the full truth of what I shared.

I nibble the edge of the biscuit while studying her.

Her eyes haven't turned black.

A promising sign, I hope.

Then again, they hadn't changed color when she tortured Ethan either.

Several more minutes crawl by.

Panic truly begins to set in.

This is it.

I'm going to die.

"Okay."

"Huh?"

"One chance." The words drip slowly from her tongue, utterly unexpected.

I had been more certain than I realized that she would actually kill me.

"Sure." I nod frantically.

For years I believed I controlled my own life.

That illusion shattered when I arrived here.

My past has always wreaked havoc in my mind, denying me true control.

"I can't promise I'll find your presence easy." She furrows her brow, seemingly unsure of her own decision. "But I will try, provided you don't fuck me over."

"Yes Alpha."

A sudden darkness flashes in her beautiful blue eyes.

A warning from her Lycan, I hope.

Rather than a sign that the darkness is advancing.

"I will do anything." I had vehemently opposed Zachary sending me here with Alexander and his brother.

This was the absolute last place on Earth I wanted to be.

But deep down, I knew what needed to be done.

She is the Alpha.

She would have found me eventually anyway.

Then everything could have been so much worse.

She rises from her seat.

Yet she still carries the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"I can track her down." I murmur softly. "I saw the car. The registration plate. I can find her. My bet is she hasn't gone far outside the pack."

Her brows knit together tightly.

She sucks in her cheeks thoughtfully.

"You don't have to do anything, but knowing her hiding place could be beneficial. Perhaps I can dig up more information about her for you."

"She might shoot you." Athena mumbles.

"We both know you're not worried about that."

She hesitates, lifting her eyes to meet mine. "You can't tell anyone. Including Zachary."

"Of course." Though I'm fairly certain if Zachary catches even a whiff, he'll be onto me.

Sometimes, he understands me better than I understand myself.

Athena moves to the door, pausing with her hand over the handle. "Thank you for answering my questions." She leaves without looking back.

Unexpected tears well in my eyes.

Maybe there truly is a chance for us.

In the afternoon, I take my mug and step outside to sit on the stone porch.

My heart feels less constricted now, but caution remains necessary.

Athena could still decide I'm not worth the trouble.

Zachary approaches with Charlotte skipping happily beside him.

She's a wonderful child, but like the rest of us, she carries her own burdens.

She throws her arms around my hips as she reaches me. "Brianna." She beams up at me with her bright green eyes.

"How did it go?" Zachary studies me as if expecting the worst.

"Okay."

He cocks a brow skeptically.

"Seriously Zachary. We talked for hours. She asked questions and I told her everything I could."

"Everything?"

I nod. "I couldn't risk hiding anything. She would have seen through it anyway."

"Time makes a difference." He mumbles.

I shake my head. "Actually, Theodore gave me some good advice."

"Theodore?" He mutters in surprise.

I nod. "Besides you, he's the only person who seems to like having me around."

"I do too." Charlotte yells as she picks flowers from the small garden patch.

Zachary narrows his dark eyes at me. "Are you and him... mates?"

I shake my head, almost laughing. "No. No he is not my mate. I'm just saying he isn't as annoying as I first thought."

Charlotte brings me the bunch of daisies she picked.

I begin weaving them into a daisy chain.

She watches in amazement, telling me I'm so clever.

"Did you really come to check on me?" I ask Zachary as Charlotte dances around with the daisy chain crowning her head.

"I had to verify you were still alive." He bumps his shoulder into mine, laughing. "So she's accepted you?"